Mormons gather for conference

SALT LAKE CITY – Even as the world changes around them, the traditional family must remain the foundation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members, Mormon leaders said during speeches at the semi-annual general conference on Saturday.

Throughout the first of five two-hour sessions at the 21,000-seat conference center in Salt Lake City, LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson and other leaders reminded listeners of the church’s opposition to abortion, emphasis on a household with a mother and a father and the encouragement to have large families.

More than 100,000 people are expected to visit the church’s Salt Lake City headquarters during the two-day conference, which began Saturday. Millions more participate through satellite, radio or Internet broadcast translated into more than 90 languages.